Jeh Johnson, head of Homeland Security, confirmed that terrorists are currently in the United States in contact with the Islamic State to plot how best to attack the nation.
They have “a desire to conduct an attack” on U.S. soil, he said during an appearance on “State of the Union” on CNN.
He declined to say how many, or where they were, Newsmax reported. But Mr. Johnson did confirm that the number in sleeper cells in the United States was much less than the number currently in Europe, hiding and plotting attacks there.
The ability to communicate and network online is really ratcheting the risks, he said.
“The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security do a pretty good job of tracking the travel of individuals or suspicion, of investigating potential acts of terror or material support for terrorism,” Mr. Johnson said, Newsmax reported. “Just this past Friday, there were arrests of five individuals who were providing material support, allegedly, to ISIL.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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